09 Nov Unspoken Message
Choose an image off the internet that you think is particularly powerful. It should be an image with no words at all (or very few words such as on street signs, and the words should not be referenced in your analysis). It may be an image caught by happenstance, such as a picture from a news story, or a ‘staged’ photo that was strategically designed by a photographer with (presumably) some intent in mind.
Choose an image that is NOT well-known or generally familiar (at least as far as you know). You may or may not find or try to find (or even be able to find) the context for the photo – the ‘who/what/when/where’ of what is in the photo. If you do have access to that info, it would be good to include this info in your post, though your points of analysis don’t have to tie in with those specifics.
Embed (or link to) the photo in your post. Analyze the image as a visual argument. Deconstruct and reconstruct the image in terms of its parts, and its impact. Discuss three main observations/points of analysis about the photo. Be creative – go where you want to go with this! You do NOT necessarily need to tie in specific course concepts or vocabulary in your analysis.
Think broadly, and consider things such as these: what does the image argue, and how? How is the image framed/constructed, and what’s the impact of that arrangement? What symbols are present that are notable, and what possible meanings do they have? What emotions and feelings does the image invoke in you/the viewer?
